Chapter 72
That afternoon.
“Kalidora.”
I was passing the time, endlessly waiting for a reply from the Tellus family, when Abelus approached me.
“If it’s alright, would you like to come to the arena with me?”
Unlike his usual formal tone, this was a very cautious invitation.
“…The arena?”
I asked, surprised. Despite asking several times before, he had never taken me, claiming it was too dangerous.
“But before, you said no…”
“You’ve wanted to go for a while now. I’ll stay with you the whole time, so don’t worry. I’ve already spoken with the others.”
“Alright!”
What a stroke of luck!
I smiled broadly and climbed onto the chariot driven by Abelus.
The arena.
Its purpose changes with the times, but currently, it served as a training ground for the children of noble families like Abelus’s.
It was a place I had dreamed of visiting at least once since reading about it in books.
Not just to see it, but to witness with my own eyes the arena used for power training in the past.
In my own time, it had long since been abandoned and reduced to ruins.
“Hold on tight.”
“Yes!”
Abelus climbed onto the chariot, led by two horses, and took the reins himself.
I gripped the handle attached to the chariot firmly.
Soon, the chariot jolted and started moving.
Abelus gently pulled the reins while simultaneously imbuing the Tome of Power resting on the horse with magic.
[DCI. Haste]
A type of wind power tome, it had the effect of increasing the speed of the caster or their vehicle.
What would normally take hours to reach, was covered quickly with the help of the tome.
“Wow!”
In the distance, a massive building resembling a colosseum came into view.
As soon as Abelus slowed the chariot, I eagerly jumped off.
The colosseum was crowded with people and tents, making it hard to get a good look.
The arena, however, stood alone, its grandeur accentuated without the interference of crowds.
“Wow, amazing!”
I ran along the endless arches.
“Where’s the entrance?”
“The nobles’ entrance is this way. Over in the city is the Colosseum, where gladiator matches open to the public are held. It’s bigger than this arena. If you like this one, I’ll take you there next.”
“Sounds great!”
I had actually already been there once, but from his words, it seemed my previous secret visit hadn’t been discovered.
‘Even though they didn’t find out, why are the family members doing things they never usually do?’
While I was pondering, Abelus entered through the gate first, looking back at me.
“Topus and Exi are already training inside. Go greet them.”
“Yes!”
I hurried after Abelus.
Inside, Topus and Exi, resting briefly near the stands, waved at me.
The arena was enormous.
One could barely see the opposite side from one end.
Despite the vast space, there were very few people—other than the three near the stands, no one else was visible.
Abelus approached them.
Among the gathered, two were none other than Topus and Exi.
“You’ve come, Abelus, and Miss Kalidora.”
“Miss, long time no see!”
“Exi, hello. Long time no see, Topus.”
Next to them was a boy I hadn’t seen before.
I didn’t know him, but being there with them, it was obvious he was Abelus’s friend.
“Hi! What’s your name?”
I greeted him warmly.
“This is Pavonius. He’s the one using wind powers,” Topus and Exi chimed in, introducing us.
“Hello, miss.”
The boy smiled as he greeted me.
I shook his hand, returning the smile.
I had assumed the Procelus family, whom I’d seen use wind powers during a childhood accident, were the only ones. But there was another family too.
“So the Pavonius family also uses wind powers,” I accidentally said aloud.
Pavo, creating a light breeze to keep dust away, had somehow heard my quiet voice and gave a wry smile.
Topus, as if it were nothing new, teasingly started to pick on him.
“A family no one knows…”
“–Shut up, Topus.”
Pavonius muttered a small curse.
Then, as if deciding he couldn’t leave it at that, he introduced his family to me himself.
“We’re currently only the second-ranked family, but we’ll rise soon. My family is putting effort in every field, so I hope you’ll remember me!”
Pavonius bowed politely, as if addressing a senior.
Judging by his eagerness to impress Ignitus, he probably intended to join as a cadet of the family.
‘Then I might be seeing him often.’
I accepted his greeting cheerfully.
“Alright!”
Perhaps waiting to greet me, the boys began moving toward the arena one by one as soon as the handshake with Pavonius ended.
“Now that Abelus is back, let’s resume the match.”
“Kalidora, you can sit over there and watch.”
But the atmosphere was unusual.
It seemed they planned to leave me in the stands.
“….”
I watched their conversation with a dissatisfied expression.
I had thought coming to the arena meant training, not just watching.
‘If that’s the case, there’s no point in following them at all.’
“Topus, don’t you feel someone watching from over there?”
“Yeah. Feels like a hole is being drilled in my back.”
“But there’s nothing we can do. It’s dangerous.”
Exi’s words made Topus nod.
They seemed unapproachable.
Instead of speaking to them, I looked at Pavonius with pleading eyes.
‘Awkward people are weak against such requests.’
“Um… miss?”
As expected, he didn’t ignore my gaze. Even while climbing over the arena fence, he kept glancing back.
“How about… letting her participate too?”
Finally, he approached his friends and spoke.
“She’s too young to be our opponent.”
“Didn’t we call her to play along anyway? She can team up with Abelus.”
Pavonius pointed at me with a troubled expression.
“She’s looking at us like that. How could we ignore it?”
Good.
I smiled while hanging onto the fence.
“I think it’s Abelus’s decision.”
Perhaps swayed, Exi called Abelus, who was already walking toward the center of the arena.
“Kalidora, you want to train with us?”
“I do! I can do it!”
“Do you even know what you’re saying? No. What we’re doing is a power duel. I can’t let you join with no experience.”
He was right.
If I joined, they’d be distracted by me and couldn’t fight properly.
But this time, even knowing I’d be a burden, I wanted to participate.
“I’m also Ignitus’s heir! So I want to try whatever Abelus can do. I can’t be treated like a child forever!”
“…….”
Abelus hesitated at my words.
“Still a child, huh?”
“Yeah. She’s at the age where she’s treated like a child.”
“Kids always think they’re grown up anyway.”
The other three murmured, excluding Abelus.
I pretended not to hear them and held onto Abelus’s sleeve.
“Abelus, please allow it.”
“…Alright. Leave your accessories behind and come.”
Finally, Abelus gave his consent.
